The US military on Sunday denied that ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was on a hunger strike. Earlier, the lawyer of former deputy premier Tareq Aziz said Saddam and 11 top officials of his toppled regime had been on hunger strike since Friday to protest ill-treatment in their US detention center.

"I call on the International Committee of the Red Cross to intervene immediately to check on the prisoners' condition," said Badiaa Aref Ezzat, according to AFP.

An American spokesman said that the detainees wanted more visits from the International Red Cross, but said "the ICRC already visits the facility on a regular basis, just as it does other detention facilities".